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1998 DBQ


            The two major dominating political parties that existed in the early nineteenth century were the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. Both of the prevailing parties could be characterized by their interpretation of the Constitution. The Jeffersonian Republicans were a political group that were labeled as strict constructionists; for they represented that the Constitution should be taken word for word. If something was not specifically granted in the Constitution, then that act could not be performed within the boundaries of the law. The Federalist Party viewed the Constitution as the starting place, as they believed that they could shape and improvise the document as they choose. Unlike the Jeffersonian Republicans, the Federalists were broad constructionists who understood that the Constitution was a framework that could be manipulated in order to fit the current situation. These characterizations of the political parties are not completely accurate, for there was a substantial amount of divergence from the traditional beliefs in each organization.
             During the early years of the nineteenth century, Jefferson was running to hold the title of the presidency, while the Federalist Party was beginning to fade away. Gideon Grange, a member of Jefferson's cabinet, received a letter from the future president stating "Our country can never be harmonious while so respectable a portion of its citizens support principles to sink the state governments, consolidate them into one, and to monarchise that." Jefferson believed that this resentment against the independence of the states was a direct attack against the Constitution, and that it defied the true theory of the important document. The Constitution, according to Jefferson, stated that the states should remain "Independent as to everything within themselves." This belief represented the state's rights, which Jefferson believed were clearly stated in the Constitution.


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